.…It’s not yet uhuru for Kwara PDP, except — Lawyer
*Kwara APC jittery, can’t escape its Waterloo in 2027 – Olosasa
By Mike Adeyemi
The political landscape in Kwara State has been thrown into fresh uncertainty following Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment on the 21-day requirement for the submission of candidates, with attention now shifting to the possible political implications for some prominent figures in the state, including Senator Saliu Mustapha and Jiya Kola.
The judgment, which has triggered widespread discussion across the political space, is already generating fresh calculations within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly over its possible implications for politicians whose candidacies or political fortunes may be affected by issues surrounding the substitution, reshuffling or replacement of candidates outside the timelines prescribed by the Electoral Act.
You will recall that Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, dumped his former party, the APC, following what was described as a political fallout arising from the party’s primary elections and subsequently pitched his tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mustapha had recently vowed to defeat his arch-rival, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, in next year’s election, declaring his determination to end the governor’s political dominance before noon on election day.
Against this backdrop, Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment has become a subject of intense political discussion in Kwara, with questions being raised over whether the pronouncement could have consequences for the political calculations of Senator Mustapha, Jiya Kola and members of the aggrieved G-15.
The Supreme Court’s position on irregularities involving the reshuffling, substitution or replacement of candidates beyond the period stipulated by law has therefore added another layer to the already charged political atmosphere in the state.
While the full political implications of the judgment remain a matter of interpretation, the development has clearly provided fresh material for political arguments within both the APC and PDP camps, with stakeholders examining what the verdict could mean for the next electoral contest.
….Olosasa: Supreme Court verdict did not disqualify Kwara PDP candidates
Speaking with our reporter on the penultimate Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment on the 21-submission issue, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, Hon. Toyin Olosasa, said the verdict did not affect the nomination of the party’s candidates in the state.
Olosasa said the Kwara PDP was not affected by the judgment, particularly the nominations of Senator Salihu Mustapha, Kolo Jiya, Gideon, Odetundun and members of the G-15.
He described reports suggesting that the Supreme Court judgment had disqualified some Kwara PDP candidates as “noise” allegedly being propagated by what he called the “Kwara APC data boys.”
“Did the Supreme Court mention Senator Salihu Mustapha? Did the Supreme Court mention those who migrated from one party to another? No! The apex court only gave judgment on certain aspects of the Electoral Act, and those provisions do not affect the nomination of Salihu Mustapha, Jiya Kolo, Gideon, Odetundun and others.
“The judgment of the Supreme Court does not affect the coalition from Kwara State. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria states that, in the case of death, there should be a substitution. In the case of permanent disability, and in the case of resignation, there are certain stipulations.
“The Kwara PDP was accurate in the nomination of Salihu Mustapha and others. Kwara PDP satisfied the requirements of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the PDP stalwart said.
He further alleged that the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court judgment was being amplified by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state because of concerns over the political strength of Senator Salihu Mustapha.
“The noise over the alleged Supreme Court disqualification of Kwara PDP candidates is being spread by the Kwara APC data boys. The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kwara State is particularly afraid of Senator Salihu Mustapha.
Olosasa, said the APC was becoming increasingly “jittery” over the unfolding political scenario, insisting that the ruling party could not escape what he described as its “Waterloo,” in the next election.
“The latest development should not be viewed merely as a legal matter, but as part of the wider political realignment taking place in Kwara ahead of the next election.
“They are jittery because they have nothing to show in the last seven years, and they will face their Waterloo come next year.
“The APC will not stage any public campaign for the election because they have no records and no achievements. They are afraid of the masses. The government is a failure,” Olosasa said.
…the legal angle to the Supreme Court verdict
A legal practitioner and Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, Barr. Sekoni Sahad Isiaq, has offered a legal perspective on the recent Supreme Court judgment, saying the verdict does not automatically invalidate the candidature of new entrants into the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking on the matter in a telephone interview with our medium yesterday, Barr. Isiaq explained that the judgment could only have a direct bearing on the candidature of the new entrants if an aspirant within the PDP approached the court to challenge the replacement of his or her name with that of another candidate.
According to him, the Supreme Court judgment in question arose from a case between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), which originated at the Federal High Court over an alleged conflict between provisions of the Electoral Act and Sections 201 and 222 of the Constitution.
He said the issue centred on Section 77 of the Electoral Act, which provides for the submission of the names of party candidates within the stipulated period before a party primary.
He said: “The Supreme Court judgment you’re talking about is between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and ZLP and it was a case that emanated from Federal High Court that they believe that there was a contradiction between the Electoral Act and the provision of the Constitution, that is Section 201 and 222.
“So that is the provision of that Electoral Act, Section 77 of the Electoral Act, which says that any party candidate that the party wants to field, his or her name should be submitted 21 days before the primary, which we believe that in the case of Senator Salihu Mustapha, it was not so.
“The case at the High Court said there is no contradiction with that section. When they go to the Court of Appeal, anytime the problem arises, the Court of Appeal said the section of the Electoral Act and that of the Constitution. And recently, as you said, the Supreme Court upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court.
“Now go back to Kwara, in the likes of Salihu Mustapha and Co., who migrated from the APC to the PDP, politics apart, we have to be sincere, that is the judgment and it counts, except the Supreme Court says otherwise. But can it affect them? To me, it is a primary that has been concluded. The only way it can affect them is if someone comes out within the party and says I was the one that was supposed to be fixed for that post.
“Somebody cannot come from the AA Party and say what they did in the PDP was wrong, except someone comes out in the PDP and says what they did affected him. So, in the Kwara PDP, do we have someone that said it affected him? Meaning the Supreme Court judgment does not automatically affect the decision of the PDP. That is my view,” the NBA Ilorin Secretary said.